Lady in Waiting 1/1
by Stephanie3
Summary: As Oz falls out of the hands of Treize Khushrenada, Lady Une observes its decline and determines her own standing in the organization.


Disclaimer: This is a work of amateur non-profit fiction and are not intended to infringe on the rights of Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, Asahi TV, and Bandai Visuals. 

Warning:Despite the title there is nothing of a sexual nature in this fic, unless you count Une's proclivity toward violent solutions as sexual prowess. Sorry. 

  


Characters: Lady Une, Tsubarov, Lt. Nichols, Trowa Barton   
Rating: PG   
Status: Complete 

  


  


## Lady in Waiting

  
_**Stephanie**_  
November 2000

  


  


  
What do you mean you relieved him of duty!" Une's voice snapped as Nichols related the information. She stood as her assistant completed wrapping the braid into a bun. The woman held on, stretching her hands to reach her commanding officer and slip the pin in place before disappearing in the background and leaving the office. "He is the best man for the job." Une's voice lowered and took on a calm reserved tone. "You will resend that order, and Officer Barton _will_ lead the team on the mission." 

"The dolls have already been dispatched, Colonel Une." Nichols responded with a certain amount of fear laced in his voice. 

"What!" Une spat and moved dangerously close to the junior officer. 

"It wasn't my order, Colonel." He replied. 

"Then whose?" She barked. 

"Chief Engineer Tsubarov, Colonel." Nichols said, taking a step back as Lady Une closed in on his personal space. 

"The last I was aware of, Lieutenant, **_I_** was in command of Barge." Une informed him and she moved closer. She stood face to face with him, and though she was shorter than he, she seemed to towered over him. Her posture held that of supreme authority and her eyes were lit with the fire that spoke of rage and punishment. Nichols shrunk back like a cat trying to make himself very small and invisible. 

"Yes. . . Of course, Colonel. But Commander Tsubarov was given direct orders from Duke Dermail, himself." He countered. 

"Duke Dermail?" Une spoke the name with a tone of surprise. She stepped back and relaxed her stance. "I was led to believe that he supported Mr. Treize in his command decisions of Oz." 

"I am unaware of the politics, ma'am." He replied. "I only know that Commander Tsubarov was given the authority to implement the use of the mobile dolls in whatever way he saw fit. He believes that the current mission will better demonstrate their use in battle over the Vayeate and the Mercurius." 

"I see." Une replied calmly. "I believe the mobile dolls demonstrated their worth quite nicely when all of them were destroyed retrieving Ambassador Peacecraft, don't you think?" 

"Colonel, with all due respect, that was another mission lead by Officer Barton. If he hadn't--" He was cut off as Une struck him across the face and circled him. 

"You question me, lieutenant?" Her voice was still calm. 

"No, Colonel Une." He replied, and stood at attention like all good subordinates being reprimanded. 

Une stopped in back of him and leaned close to his ear. "I think you do." She stepped back and remained quiet for a moment. 

"Nichols," she finally spoke after a small space of uncomfortable time had passed. "You _did_ check out his background, did you not? You didn't `forget' anything in your search, did you?" She heard the sound of him swallowing before he dared to speak and she smiled. 

"No, ma'am!" He exclaimed. "I did a thorough background search on Trowa Barton." 

"Um." Une nodded and circled round again to face him. "So you said the first time. But I wonder... you seem to mistrust him, though he has proven himself to be the best pilot in Oz since Zechs Merquise defected. If you do not feel you've done an adequate job in researching his background, then perhaps you should have your work load lighten so that you can do your job properly in the future." 

"Lady Une. . ." the lieutenant stammered. "Colonel, I _assure_ you that my check on Officer Trowa Barton was as thorough as possible. It's not his loyalty I question but. . . but his youth and lack of Academy training." 

_Good save._ Une thought. 

"Perhaps," he continued. "Officer Barton, while excelling in piloting skills, is not the best person for command decisions. At least," he paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. "Not until he has had more training under the stricter setting of official Oz instructors. He is after all," Nichols added. "Only a colonist." 

Une walked to her desk and leaned against the edge of it. She folded her arms and considered this for a moment. "The insecurity of the ambitious is ages old, Nichols." She looked at him, her face was stern and appeared annoyed. "And it is not becoming of an Oz officer under the command of Treize Khushrenada. But," she conceded. "You do have a point. He is not an Oz trained officer. Something we will correct in time. However, right now we do not have that luxury and he _is_ the best pilot. His understanding of the Gundam is unsurpassed, so in battle he has the quicker advantage. He remains team leader of all Gundam expeditions. Is that clear, Nichols?" 

"Yes, Colonel!" He affirmed, Une had noted, with the enthusiasm of a first year cadet. Climbing the ladder in Oz was something of a feat and Une did not envy the task of a career minded young officer. Especially with her around to systematically pick off those that did not excel to her standards. 

"Dismissed." Her voice was clipped, she stood and turned on her heels, not bothering to watch Nichols leave as she sat behind her desk and turned on the computer. 

_Mobile dolls_ she sighed. _His Excellency will not like this._ She brought up her files on the dolls and went over the specs yet again. They seemed efficient and less likely to commit errors on the battlefield in theory, but the longer she used them, the more she started to understand Treize's objection. 

He was right, Oz was changing. It was becoming more obvious that Oz was heading toward an era where humans where being eliminated from battle with the dawn of the mobile doll age. Machines would do the killing now. There would be death with no meaning. There would be no struggle. There would be no victory. Only automation and death. 

She thought of the incarcerated pilots, 01 and 05, not for the first time today, ahnd of the three pilots that remained at large. Her thoughts drifted toward them quite a bit since her last conversation with Mr. Treize. She marveled at them; their strength, their willingness to continue fighting despite the betrayal of the colonies they battled to protect for so long. Only now they fought for their survival. They fought for their right to exist. 

Her previous understanding of them as evil had begun to ebb. _Their lives exist in the struggle. It defines them. How are we so different?_ She smiled to herself in reply. _We have the legitimate political power, of course._

She stood from her desk and left her office. She walked through the corridors of Barge with a quick stride that gave off the air to her staff that not only was she on official business, but also rather irritated. She made her way through to the officers club and looked for merely a moment before spotting her target. He was right where she had gauged he would be this time of evening. She briskly made her way to the booth and stood in front of it, looking down at its occupant. 

"Lady _Une_!" Tsubarov exclaimed. "I'm so glad you can join me here, why don't you take a seat. I've been waiting for the opportunity to--" 

"Not tonight, Chief Engineer." She interrupted. "We have official business to discuss. For instance, why you failed to report to me upon arriving here." 

"Please. . . Lady Une," he spoke contritely. "Sit and we'll discuss this over dinner." Une judged this to either be Tsubarov's diplomatic or seduction voice. Neither were adequate. 

"While socializing on Earth you may refer to me by my birth title. Here in space, under my command, you will address me by my rank of Colonel. Is that understood, Chief Engineer?" 

Tsubarov gestured with a slight bow of his head. "Of course Lady--" he raised his hand quickly in apology. "Of course, Colonel." He smiled and offered her a seat once again. 

Without hint of amusement, Une sat in front of him and folded her hands over the table. "My officer tells me that you have been given the right to override my decisions without informing me first, is this right, Chief engineer?" 

"Oh, of course not!" Tsubarov waved his hand in dismissal of her query and took a sip of the drink in front of him. Une had determined by now that it was defiantly of alcoholic nature. 

Her eyes widened. "And yet Officer Nichols has informed me that you overrode my choice of sending Officer Barton out in the Vayeate with a team to investigate a colony disturbance. Are you saying my officer lied to me?" 

"Not at all, Colonel." Tsubarov replied. "I simply wanted to test out some of the improvements I had recently made to the mobile dolls. And since you were busy making peace agreements or non-aggression pacts or what ever it is you do - with the colonists, I thought I would spare you a minor detail on who goes out on such a routine mission. Really, Colonel," he said shaking his head and chuckling. "This is all a misunderstanding. But if it makes you feel better, I'll pass _every tedious_ detail by you the next time." 

Une stared at him for a long moment, not moving or even blinking. She looked him directly in the eye and then stood. "See to it, Chief Engineer." 

Tsubarov stood after she had and bowed courteously toward her. "As you command, Colonel." He stood up straight and adjusted the ruffles on his Imperial uniform. "But before you leave, Colonel, I was wondering if you would like me to give you a personal tour of the mobile doll production. I could show you those new improvements I made and you can then assess personally if the dolls are performing to your satisfaction." 

"Send me the report," she curtly replied. "And I will determine without the biased influence of the creator if those improvements are sufficient." She turned and left, not giving him a chance to reply. 

_So, they haven't stripped me of command yet. . . Mr. Treize, what is going on in Oz? I know only that this organization is no longer yours._ She continued walking down the corridor and smiled inwardly. _Still, your Excellency, merely say the word and there is an open airlock door with Tsubarov's name on it._

She took her time walking, analysis and calculating all of the facts and information she had gathered in the past few days. Within Oz, something was dangerously amiss. At some point, she would be cut loose. That, she knew already. But how much longer did she have, and who were her allies now, if any? 

She found herself in the hangar where the Vayeate and Mercurius were stored. _Not these scientists, I am sure of that. They would slit my throat as fast as I would slit theirs. Keep them so long as I can exploit them, and then get rid of them._

She looked over to the Vayeate and saw that Trowa Barton was overseeing the repairs to the mecha. This was not required of him, yet he was dedicated to his mission and to Oz. It was too bad that Oz would collapse before he could rise in the ranks. But perhaps if he survived he would have a place in Mr. Treize's new world order. 

"Mr. Barton." She called out. 

Trowa Barton looked up from his repairs, he immediately stood at attention and saluted his commanding officer. 

"At ease, Mr. Barton." She said. "I am only here to. . . get an opinion." 

"Yes, Colonel." He replied, folding his hands behind his back. 

"The mobile dolls, do you think they are effective in battle?" She asked. "Are they, in your opinion, worth the investment?" 

"In my opinion, Colonel," the young officer carefully replied. "No, they are not. The mobile dolls cannot predict the movements of the individual pilot." 

"But the dolls do not tire or need rest, surely this makes them superior, does it not?" She countered. 

"There is nothing more unpredictable than a soldier who is tired and hungry, Colonel." Barton replied. "The soldier who is desperate requires an equally desperate and human response. The dolls are not yet equipped for that." He seemed to think on that for a mere second and added. "To my knowledge, at least." 

Une nodded. "Thank you for your input, Mr. Barton. Carry on with your work please." 

She left the hangar and headed back to her office to synthesize all the data. Yes, things were changing quickly and she was going to have to determine who her new allies would be.   


  
~end~ 

  



End file.
